Will there be a more unbelievable political story in 2004 than the collapse of Howard Dean in Iowa and New Hampshire?

Well, the stunning comeback of John Kerry is in some ways more amazing.

Let's not take anything for granted about what happens next -- although Kerry is in a commanding position, we think -- but just the achievement of coming back from the dead to win the two first-in-the-nationers is quite stunning.

Back in November, when Kerry fired his campaign manager and revamped things, it was fashionable among the Gang of 500 to write the Massachusetts Senator off completely.

At the time, on Nov. 10 and 12, The Note published two Kerry campaign memos.

One was from ousted campaign manager Jim Jordan to his incoming replacement, Mary Beth Cahill; the other was from departing communications spokesguy Robert Gibbs to the arriving Stephanie Cutter.

We generally try to be forward looking, but we feel these missives, read in light of January's events, are worth re-reading (and we remain proud that the Globe and Herald were never able to match our reporting!).

So, for those of you who want to go directly forward to Feb. 3, skip the next section. But for those who want to give Jordan and Gibbs their due for the advice -- and Cahill and Cutter and Co. THEIR due for executing it all brilliantly, we re-publish both memos below.

Sen. Kerry speaks in Boston and St.. Louis this afternoon.

Gov. Dean is in Burlington, Vt. today and has no public events, but lots of satellite interviews (3.5 hours worth!!).

Gen. Clark is in Oklahoma early this afternoon and New Mexico and Arizona later in the day.

Sen. Edwards is in South Carolina this morning, Oklahoma this afternoon, and Missouri this evening.

Sen. Lieberman and Rep. Kucinich are in Oklahoma today where they will both participate in the National Health Policy Council forum.

Rev. Sharpton is in St. Louis all day.

The Jordan and Gibbs memos:

TO: MBC
FROM: JJ
RE: Big Bad John

Congratulations -- you are inheriting a great national staff, a great Iowa staff, a great New Hampshire staff, and Judy Reardon's agita.

There ARE, however, some things to watch out for to make sure the machine continues to hum.

1. At the slightest provocation, particularly during live television interviews, The Candidate will throw the staff under the bus. For instance, I was once sacrificed on "Meet the Press" for some on-the-record criticism of HoHo that in retrospect reads in tone and substance like a Connie Morella press release compared to what The Candidate is now saying about Dean.

2. Make some sort of deal with a Boston-area milk company to get Michael Whouley's picture on cartons. We have to find the guy.

3. The Candidate is in Iowa today; may I suggest no custard stops?

4. The corollary of "Let The Spouse Be the Spouse" is "Let Chris Black Be Chris Black." You'll know what I mean shortly if you don't already.

5. I have no fu***** (REDACTED) idea what Cam is doing, but The Candidate seems to believe he is the second coming of Tad Devine.

6. Jeanne Shaheen seems smart, ruthless, and knowledgeable about how to win New Hampshire. But, then, I gather you two have been spending some time together lately, so you probably knew that.

7. If you can find a way to get the national political press corps to hold HoHo accountable for the things he says, more power to you. Most of them don't much like The Candidate, and don't cut him a break - ever. And I think there is a connection between those things.

8. You'll be tempted to ask the research shop to get you a memo on The Candidate's achievements in Congress. Save yourself some time and don't.

9. Often, we line up endorsements and come up with a plan about how to unveil them for maximum strategic effect. Remember: this works best if the endorsers don't just blurt out their support whenever they feel like it. Also, if you set up endorsement press conference calls, remind the endorsers not to trash the significance of their own endorsements.

10. Getting into Canada requires proper ID. (Actually, that one belongs on a different list - ignore it … .)

11. Bob Shrum was right -- "The Courage to do What's Right" is a really effective campaign slogan.

12. Going to war publicly against the Boston Globe might make you feel good, but it won't effect what is the most relentlessly negative coverage of any presidential candidate EVER by a hometown paper -- and I mean the news page. Don't even get me started on the op-ed page.

13. Your friend Jill Alper should run the world -- see if you can make that happen.

14. You'll be wondering what the fourth-quarter fundraising number will be like. It's not something I want to commit to paper. Just have Gibbs practice in front of a mirror: "We'll have enough resources to get our message out."

15. I think we finally have an answer on the Iraq vote that works. As John Sasso always says, "8th time's the charm."

16. Best to get The Candidate to stop musing in public about decisions that he hasn't made yet. And, since we have budgeted to take those matching funds, make darn sure that The Candidate is fully ready to write a personal check before you let him make any announcement. In fact, I'd suggest having the check in hand -- certified.

17. Finally, have fun. There are still a lot of people in the party like you who believe that The Candidate is the party's best and only hope of beating George Bush, and we have all seen moments and flashes in which John is That Man.

Your task, in the few short weeks you have, is to somehow make him perform at that level each and every day. There's no evidence it can be done, but you gotta try. You and New Hampshire can make The Candidate The Comeback Kid.

TO: SAC
FROM: RG
RE: Big Bad Media

Congratulations -- you are inheriting a great Iowa press shop, a former New Hampshire governor with a big Granite megaphone, and Bob Shrum's yellow pad.

There ARE, however, some things to watch out for to make sure the machine continues to hum.

1. Okay, you're here, but you're not sure what your title is, what your duties are, who exactly will be left for you to work with and who you really report to. That's normal.

2. You worked for Kennedy. The Globe was your friend. Welcome to a new reality.

3. We used to take so much heat for being such a male-dominated campaign when I worked there (Granted -- the Budweiser wall calendar didn't help.). With the arrival of the whole Kennedy team of gals, y'all boast more estrogen than a roomful of CNN bookers. You might want to play that up. On the other hand, if you thought the convention staff was white, wait until you see our gang.

4. When Halperin tells you, after a debate, that only one candidate on the stage looked presidential, he doesn't necessarily mean your candidate.

5. My very best lines and information comes from Gehrke, the finest research director in the entire business. But tap that well of knowledge fast, as he has at least 4 job offers (including 3 presidential campaigns not named "Kerry") from which to choose.

8. Keep up the fight for full engagement. Jordan wasn't wrong about taking on Dean. The more you throw at him the more something might stick. The research folks camped out in Burlington for weeks, and they have hits that are even better than that NRA questionnaire. Howard Dean has never had an unexpressed thought. This should work against him but it seems to be overshadowed by the fact that our campaign has never had an original thought.

9. For all of those recently arrived and soon-to-come staffers who wonder if our recent changes will lead to more attacks on Dean or the high road, the answer is: "Yes."

10. Getting into Canada requires proper ID. (Actually, that one belongs on a different list - ignore it . . . .)

11. Putting Shaheen out in front on the "Vermont Miracle" issue is a good idea -- NH Democrats do like her -- but remember that after two terms in office, she could only carry 60% of the vote -- in the primary.

12. Be sure to get up early to read all of the Dean news clips and web page material. It will give you advance notice of what The Candidate will be talking about all day. It is also a good source of ideas for our own web site.

14. In planning for major speeches in South Carolina, try to limit staff to less than 1/4 the size of the audience.

15. If ever you should go on Fox News, don't compare The Candidate's comments about "being the candidate for white guys in the South with the Confederate flag in their windows" to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. It just makes everyone look foolish.

16. It takes some time to whittle down The Candidate's responses . . . . "Mr. Change Your Opinion For Expediency" is actually much better than his original suggestion of "Mr. Arrogant Jerk who can't stick with a position to save his life but will run our party into the ground and get beaten like a red-headed stepchild by another arrogant jerk already in the White House."

17. Firing Jordan is a one-day story. My resignation is a one-day story. Trailing by double digits is a one-day story. 76 days left until NH -- filling every day with a different story seems like a daunting task but the senior staff and The Candidate will help as much as possible.

18. If asked what The Candidate was eating when I announced I was leaving -- just say "crow." This is now a two-day story. And counting.

19. John Kerry doesn't have a plan to win the war, but "The Bunny" has a plan to win the peace. (Note Note: we don't know what that means either.)

20. Even though we won't dip into her personal fortune, TH has a plan to build a new pro football stadium in each battleground state. No really, she does.

21. If asked: Yes, we're still very glad we won the Shrum Primary.

22. The Kerry Girls are off limits -- wait that probably doesn't apply to you. But same goes for Chris Heinz.

23. Don't bother trying to get The Candidate to stop delivering those prostate cancer jokes.

24. All questions about Morgan Fairchild get forwarded to Chris Black.

25. Trust Benander as Obi-Wan Kenobi … because I do.

26. No custard stops. Period. Free vanilla treats will serve to only sour, not sweeten, the waiting press corps. (Note Note: you MUST click this link. LINK

27. Ad images of our candidate in committee hearings may not be screaming "foreign policy experience" as much as we like to Iowans.

28. Never fret about an event that is staffed by David Wade. After all had Wade rather than me been in the 603 area code, John Kerry would not have said "regime change."

29. Key point: try to figure out which consultant is nicknamed "Uday."

30. Warning signs that more senior staff might be fleeing: Morehouse forwards his phone to your cell with no warning.

31. Don't believe the rumors that the campaign is relocating to the Ketchum, Idaho in order to test the loyalty of the consultants.

32. Don't throw away that Amtrak Guest Rewards membership just yet.

33. Before every press avail, have The Candidate repeat after you: "I will not mutter 'Dean, Dean, Dean, Dean, Dean' around an open microphone."

34. AP writers are not just there to look at: feed them or they will piss all over your house.

35. A great debate performance will earn you little to no press, but a staff shakeup will get you above-the-fold stories and a regular rotation on Fox. Worth reminding The Candidate when he's complaining about lack of press coverage.

36. The next time The Candidate gets grumpy and masticates on the ineffectiveness of his staff, point to the Clark campaign's decision to attack Edwards over Hugh Shelton on Veterans Day as an example of how bad strategic decisions by staff (Lehane and Kym?) really can be. After that, you won't look that awful.

37. Changing the dynamics of a campaign will have a direct effect on the dynamics of the race, which in turn will dynamically cause some type of kinetic change in our overall dynamics.

38. For a quick, in-house poll you can always multiply the number of conference calls per day times the number of people on them, divide by the number of times Dean's name appears in our latest press release and then subtract the number of public appearances the candidate is scheduled to make. You should end up with the number of points between us and Dean on any given day in New Hampshire.

39. And remember, when Gephardt starts to gain on us in NH, Kerry only voted for the Iraq resolution, Dick sponsored it!

40. There are no Confederate flags on Nantucket.

41. Are you bringing Whouley down from Boston when you get here?

42. Two final words of wisdom, and you may ignore it, you make think this is just lip service, but I firmly believe it: Loyalty matters.

Your task, in the few short weeks you have, is to somehow make The Candidate perform at that his top level each and every day. There's no evidence it can be done, but you gotta try. You and New Hampshire can make The Candidate The Comeback Kid.

What happens next?

We'll let the voters decide.

Certainly, Sen. John Kerry's convincing win places him in a very strong position for the Democratic nomination.

Having won Iowa and New Hampshire by large margins, he is likely to be the beneficiary of an extraordinary amount of favorable free media coverage in the set of states that hold primaries and caucuses on Feb. 3. This is key, because, before now, in none of these states did he have any particular strength or depth, in terms or organization or popular support.

Most voters in these states, however, have just begun to pay attention, and none of the other candidates have built up significant leads anyway.

Kerry will also very likely be able to raise a lot of money over the next few days and weeks, and he faces no state spending limits because of his decision to reject federal matching funds.

Key endorsements from Democratic establishment figures, superdelegates, and importantly, Democratic governors, are likely to come in over the next few days as well.

Kerry's experienced and big-time staff continues to make smart and aggressive scheduling decisions.

And then there's Kerry himself. He tastes the nomination, he's exhibiting confidence, and he will campaign aggressively for this.

There are a few ways we can see him being headed off:

(a) Some sort of national flap, whether it be an issue controversy or a scandal, that he handles poorly.

And/or

(b) His failure to live up to press expectations in the Feb. 3 states. If his opponents cherry-pick the states they want to compete in, Kerry will face different battles on different fronts, and he may run into trouble trying to quash four or five different flames. The Feb. 3 states, as we said earlier, are wide open, and most Democratic voters there are just now beginning to pay attention.

And/or

(c) Negative attacks from rivals who this week largely left him alone.

Although Howard Dean had a good showing in the early exit polls, priming the storyline for a "comeback," reality is beginning to set in.

His bad losses in Iowa and New Hampshire should not be underestimated. Dean put millions into both states, focused an enormous amount of time and resources in them, and set high expectations early on. Right now, it's not immediately apparent to us where, on Feb. 3, he can do well.

Dean seems to inclined to devote some of the next week to delegate-rich, union-vote heavy states that vote after Feb. 3 -- Michigan, Washington and Wisconsin.

These are, in theory, better states for him to do well.

If he wins nothing on Feb. 3 ,there will be some who question whether he can fight after that date. Still, some of Dean's supporters are surely going to feel he was not fairly treated this month, and they could rally, as many did in New Hampshire.

ABC News' Reena Singh and Marc Ambinder report that the staffers at the mid and junior levels of the campaign are chewing on the assumption that the senior staff may be moved around a bit to incorporate more people with field experience in direct operational roles. Finance chair Steve Grossman is said by several more senior aides to be playing a larger than usual role in advising Gov. Dean.

Several meetings to discuss strategy and operations are set for today in Burlington. ABC News has learned that Dean has consulted with former Vice President Al Gore about what his campaign should look like, going forward.

Dean huddled last night with -- and rode back to Vermont late last night with -- his Vermont posse: Kate O'Connor, his top traveling aide, and Bob Rogan, his deputy chief of staff.

Chief among the problems facing Dean: the need for more money. The campaign spent more than $10 million in Iowa alone, and, according to today's Wall Street Journal, they have about $5 million left. (See Singh's campaign report below for more).

Money is an issue for all: the Journal reports that nearly everyone has "exhausted their campaign treasuries."

Going into Feb. 3, Edwards and Clark can argue that they are headed to states with more favorable terrain, but they may be hard pressed to match Kerry in the kind of news coverage that dominates this phase of the nomination hunt.

The Manchester Union Leader takes a look at the town by town results. LINK

"Besides Manchester and Nashua, Kerry was the clear victor in Concord, Londonderry, Rochester, Salem, Somersworth and Dover. He took smaller towns in each county and ended the night with nearly four out of every 10 votes cast."

"Dean took the city of Keene, hard by his state of Vermont, winning 1,717 to 1,484. Dean's victories in early tallies among smaller towns were primarily in the northern and western part of the state, closest to Vermont. One exception was Winchester, just south of Keene, where Kerry won by a 203-179 vote."

The New York Times' William Safire imagines what all political reporters dream of: a brokered Democratic National Convention. LINK

The Wall Street Journal's Julia Angwin checks out the buses -- campaign and media -- tooling around the campaign trail.

Kerry:

From ABC News Kerry campaign reporter Ed O'Keefe:

At first glance, Kerry's approach to Feb. 3 boils down to three-pronged attack: 1) bask in the free media bounce, 2) build awareness through visibility, and 3) ads, ads, ads.

The Kerry campaign hopes momentum from New Hampshire will give their candidate an advantage, especially due to the campaign's pre-Iowa organizational deficiencies in February 3rd states. The hope is, whatever Kerry may have lost by focusing on Iowa and New Hampshire will be more than regained by virtue of winning Iowa and New Hampshire.

Since his official announcement in September, Kerry has not traveled to South Carolina since that month, Arizona since November, New Mexico since December, and not at all to the remaining four states. To make up for this deficit, the campaign plans an all-out media and travel blitz to every contested 2/3 state. Senator Kerry begins his seven-day-seven-state charge Wednesday, traveling first to Missouri then to South Carolina.

Three ads will rotate in each state. "The Good American," an ad featuring footage of Kerry walking through the jungles of Vietnam with an M-16 and discussing "doing what's right" with regard to health care and taxes, concludes with swift boat mate Del Sandusky vouching, "He's a good American." A second ad featuring David Alston, an African-American minister from South Carolina, focuses on veterans issues. Both "The Good American" and "Alston" will play heavily in Veterans' states such as South Carolina and Arizona.

"Corruption versus Opportunity" shows a sharp-looking Senator eyeing the camera straight on, in essence introducing himself to the viewer while explaining the need to roll back the Bush tax cuts. This ad is likely to run more regularly throughout the states.

The Kerry campaign refused to provide details of the ad buy, insisting only that the three thirty second ads will rotate in seven "significant" statewide buys.

Read more from the trail with Kerry on abcnews.com: LINK

The New York Times' Glen Justice reports that Sen. Kerry's campaign has raised "more than $1.1 million in the past week over the Internet alone." LINK

The Washington Post's John F. Harris and Ceci Connolly on what is behind the Kerry win. LINK

The New York Times' David Halbfinger wraps from the Kerry victory party, Noting that Kerry's support from veterans helped "mobilized a constituency that has rarely rallied behind a Democrat or any other single candidate en masse." LINK

More Connolly: Kerry's face tonight expressed a "pure joy" that "has not been seen for months." LINK

Dean:

From ABC News Dean campaign reporter Reena Singh:

Following the Governor's speech, "I Won't Back Down" piped through the gymnasium as volunteers pulled Dean signs off the walls. Sitting at the edge of stage -- Joe Trippi, Steve McMahon and Paul Maslin. When asked what happened in New Hampshire, Trippi said, "I'm not talking to you." His response to why was "Because the media is a pain in the ass."

The Dean team meets in Burlington tomorrow to come up with new strategies. According to the campaign, this is now a two-man race. Staffers say his message will essentially stay the same except that there will be more emphasis on his executive experience and on Kerry as a Washington insider. "The difference between Howard Dean and John Kerry is results versus rhetoric," said McMahon.

McMahon categorizes the future ad strategy as being about the "next seven weeks, not just about the next seven days." Ads in New Hampshire are obviously down and no other ads are expected to go up until Friday.

Thursday the Governor touches down on delegate rich Michigan before going to Greenville, S.C. In fact, the Governor's most recent schedule takes him to both Feb. 3 and Feb. 7 states. He is lagging in South Carolina, New Mexico and Arizona polls and it appears as if the campaign is focusing on Michigan and Washington states.

As for the Dean New Hampshire staff, they will begin the postmortem tomorrow as well as discover what their next assignments will be. Most have all put in their relocation requests. Arizona and New Mexico seem to be the top choices. "I need to thaw out and I really need a tan," said one New Hampshire worker.

Read more from the trail with Dean on abcnews.com: LINK

The New York Times' Jodi Wilgoren Notes from Dean's primary night party that "This time, it was the crowd that screamed, not the candidate." LINK

Jim VandeHei writes that Dean's second place finish "slowed but failed to stop his political freefall." LINK

The Washington Post editorial board doesn't think the race is over either, but believes Dean has to win somewhere soon ("Even a comeback kid has to come back and win somewhere"). LINK

The Globe's Glen Johnson writes about the Dean campaign's optimism and strategy for Feb. 3. LINK

Clark:

ABC News' Deb Apton reports on the scene as the Clark campaign left New Hampshire:

It's a scene out of a movie as a sea of press try to get cameras, bags, and boots through security screeners and on board. By 10:20pm, we are somehow airborne. Going down the runway, Clark and Mrs. Clark cheer with their staffers-they have just heard that The General pulled ahead ever-so-slightly in the final count and New Hampshire press staff confirmed with the Secretary of State that Clark has held on to a tight third spot in the primary. Clark, all smiles, heads back to talk with press:

"I loved being out there tonight, welcoming the voters as they came into the polls in the darkness and the cold weather because that's what democracy is really all about. I mean, in my greatest dreams I never would have thought I'd have the chance to do that."

It's now midnight. We're about ten minutes from landing in Charleston when press is told "breaking news." Due to FAA regulations, the crew can't overnight in South Carolina and then fly tomorrow morning to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Instead, Matt Bennett tells the plane of press that we're landing in Greenville, S.C. to re-fuel and then fly over two more hours to Tulsa, OK. Morning events have been cancelled in South Carolina. Mrs. Clark has made it clear-she is not happy.

We're down on the ground, then we're back up in the air-two people shy who forgo their luggage, opting to stay in South Carolina for a scheduled live shot on the network in the early morning. While everybody tries to sleep on board, General Clark searches anxiously for a blanket to keep him warm so he too can sleep.

It's 4:30am local time when the plane lands in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There is very little talking-there are no morning show tapings-we meet for a 12 pm local time event before heading off to three other Feb. 3 states for events. We're back in Oklahoma later in the evening to overnight.

Coming out of New Hampshire, it's also time to focus on advertising in the Feb. 3 states. Clark told press tonight that the campaign is "coming up on air in Missouri." Jamal Simmons adds-"you're making news" with this information.

Read more from the trail with Clark on abcnews.com: LINK

Edwards:

The New York Times' Randy Archibold Notes that while watching election results, Sen. Edwards "seemed to be itching to head for more politically advantageous parts, especially South Carolina, where he was born and where he believes his Southern roots will keep Dr. Dean and Mr. Kerry in particular at bay." LINK

From ABC News Edwards campaign reporter Gloria Riviera:

As for the evening, Edwards' demeanor was ever so slightly resigned and seemingly anxious to move on. He and his wife watched results from a suite in the Radisson Hotel in Merrimack, New Hampshire with their eldest daughter, Cate. Speaking to reporters at a time results were still coming in and it looked to be a battle for third place, Edwards explained to the press that he was intent on taking his campaign to the national level. At once point Elizabeth Edwards jumped in, "He's got all the momentum," she said. Perhaps not hearing her Edwards turned and said, "Who does?" "You, you have all the momentum," she replied. "Oh yes, of course I do."

The first stop the Senator will take that message is, of course, home. Edwards will start the day in Orangeburg, SC (where the press corps arrived at 3:00am despite the fact the city was hit with an ice storm and power had been down less than 24-hours before) before heading to Oklahoma and Missouri o with an eventual overnight in St. Louis Wednesday night.

The ad buy for the immediate future is as follows: in both New Mexico and South Carolina the 30-second spots "Better Life" and "Two Americas" are in rotation and in Oklahoma "Two Americas" is up.

For more on the trail with Edwards: LINK

Lieberman:

The Washington Post's Jonathan Finer writes that Lieberman's fifth place finish deflated his hope to jumpstart his campaign by defeating expectations in New Hampshire. LINK

Kucinich:

From ABC News Kucinich campaign reporter Melinda Arons:

While certainly not a shake-up, the campaign is changing its media strategy. National press secretary David Swanson, who kept a grueling schedule as the campaign's main spokesperson but who oftentimes had a prickly relationship with the press, has given his two weeks notice.

Replacing him is author and journalist William Rivers Pitt. Pitt, who wrote "War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know" with former weapons inspector Scott Ritter and who currently edits the website TruthOut.org, was covering Kucinich last week in Iowa. He blended in so well that Kucinich offered him the position, and he will now travel full-time with the candidate. The campaign worries its relationship with the media has been damaged by its previously defensive attitude toward the mainstream press, something they hope Pitt can remedy. As Pitt told ABC News, "There's a new sheriff in town."

Iowa state coordinator Dave Rogers has now been dispatched to head up advance in upcoming contests, and heads to New Mexico tomorrow.

Read more from the campaign trail at ABC News.com: Feb. 3:

The Boston Globe's Yvonne Abraham writes that Feb. 3 is a whole new ballgame, and that the "retail" of New Hampshire and Iowa is now replaced by "wholesale." LINK

John Harwood and Jake Schlesinger wrap up the primary results, Noting the crucial importance of Feb. 3, that all of the top contenders are burning through their cash at a fast rate, and this reminder: "At stake in the nation's first primary was a paltry trove of 22 national convention delegates but a giant wave of political momentum."

Al Hunt emphasizes in his Campaign Journal the absolute importance of money in this calendar, and analyzes how last night's results affect the top four candidates' strategies going into Feb. 3.

The Boston Globe's Raja Mishra reports that Edwards is looking to the "'more level playing field'" of the South and Midwest. LINK

The Boston Globe's Joanna Weiss reports that Clark had one of his hardest weeks yet and is looking for better results down South. LINK

New Mexico:

The Albuquerque Journal reports Kerry's New Mexico campaign co-chairman Lt. Gov. Diane Denish expects 15 New Mexico endorsements this week for the Massachusetts senator. The Journal also expects Mrs. Heinz Kerry, Sen. Kennedy, and former HUD Secretary Cisneros to stump the Land of Enchantment on behalf of Kerry. LINK

Missouri:

Let the primary bounce begin: The Kansas City Star reports John Kerry has the early lead in the Show-Me State, according to its latest poll. Note no one else busts into double digs . . . LINK

Now that Gephardt is out, Mayor Slay is in for Kerry -- some details from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
LINK

Kansas City (and St. Louis), here they come…the two cities brace for the candidates' wooing to begin. LINK

The Springfield News-Leader advises its Ozark readers campaigns are beefing up staffs in the area.
LINK

Missouri Shows no Sign of the primary to come -- and most folks don't know there's a vote next week. LINK

Arizona:

Billy House of the Arizona Republic takes a 30,000-foot look (get it?) at the candidates' fly-around strategies for the Feb. 3 states, Noting that Kerry hits the airwaves in all seven states with new ads today, while Dean figures out where to put his money on the air, and Clark leads in ad spending in Arizona. LINK

The Arizona Republic's Paul Matthews rounds up the candidates' initial plans as they hit the ground in Arizona. Note Laura Capps' title switch from "Iowa spokeswoman" to "Arizona spokeswoman." LINK

South Carolina:

With a little bit of Southern pride, Lee Bandy of The State warns Sen. John Kerry that it's not smart to believe he can win the nomination without the South. Noting of course, that Kerry kicked off his campaign in the Palmetto State, only to return once since, and has talked repeatedly about how he doesn't need the South to win. LINK

The State writes that Sen. Edwards is the man to beat in the "first-in-the-South" primary next week. But while Edwards has the home state advantage, Kerry has the momentum. LINK

Noting that the focus of the candidates will not be solely South Carolina (there are other states up for grabs next Tuesday), the Charleston Post and Courier reports that "there was a growing sense Tuesday that some of the campaigns might be willing to concede South Carolina to Edwards while the fight moves to the six other states." LINK

Here come the ads! The State warns it's readers of the flood of campaign ads coming their way, saying "you might want to keep your remote handy this week." Warning: remotes don't help when the ads are on every channel. LINK

The State also gives a synopsis on how they think the national media has been covering South Carolina thus far. Fair? LINK

Politics Live:

Politics Live is off to the Feb. 3 races, featuring an interview today with Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina (we believe you've heard of him). Catch the show live at 1 p.m. on the Web.

Click here to check out a clip from yesterday's show, ABC News Correspondent Bob Woodruff does his best impression of Sen. John Edwards. LINK

AOL subscribers, don't you worry, you can watch it too.
But you can't tell the players without a program -- which means ya gotta sign up to have ABC News Live delivered right to your desktop. We don't underestimate the power of customer service around here. LINK

ABC 2004: The Campaign Bus Logs:

From Onawa to Sabula, from New Ipswich to Scott Bog, ABC News' Campaign Buses -- Red, White and Blue are the biggest things to hit Iowa and New Hampshire since Jack Germond. They feature full-service production suites, hungry reporters, and fun-loving producers -- and they're the centerpiece of ABC News' Vote 2004 coverage.

Those bus producers -- some of them legends in the broadcast business -- file memos to the news division every night, providing a unique look at life on the road. Here are some of their observations.

Today, they're leaving New Hampshire and crisscrossing the country.

From ABC News Blue Bus producer "Legendary" Leo Meidlinger:

Top Note: AWOL driver Arnie reported enroute home to Tennessee. Reports reaching BLUE TEAM indicate Arnie feared being snowed in here in Manchester. Arnie, however, failed to tell TEAM BLUE'S main driver, Terry Ford, he was leaving. Investigation launched. Hopefully, Arnie will not be assigned to any further ABC expeditions.

What's that you say?
Donut-seeking wag to late night counter man at the only open Dunkin' Donuts shop in town: Waddayamean you've got coffee but no donuts??. When do you make the donuts ??

v
Late night counter man's reply: Well, most days we don't get 'em from the factory until about 3 am, but some days they don't arrive until 5.

Donut-seeking wag to self on driving away: If I only had a million, I'd open a KRISPY KREME store in this town and kill the competition.

Wild BLUE Yonder
O feet O inches (That's okay, though, because TEAM BLUE broke the existing world record for live shots and show production. And, of course, TEAM BLUE, did it without a last-minute power-failure. Hmmm!!!! Always helps to have a dual plant generator available.

From ABC News Red Bus producer Laiea Smith:

"Not Drew… Drew is not coming on this bus, is he?" --- Anonymous.

"You have real water on this bus, the White Bus has urine sample sizes." --- Drew Millhon upon his first visit to the Red Bus. Taking notes White Bus?

"You know HOW to record the show on the RED BUS?! When we asked the White Bus to roll on it, we ended up with a VHS of a bass fishing program." --- Dan Harris marveling at our tech savvy.

ABC News Vote 2004: Bush-Cheney re-elect:

The New York Times' Eric Schmitt and Frank Bruni reports that Vice President Cheney met yesterday with the Pope, who in English said "I encourage you and your fellow citizens to work, at home and abroad, for the growth of international cooperation and solidarity in the service of that peace." LINK

Responding to questions from reporters yesterday, President Bush declined to say that weapons of mass destruction would be found in Iraq, but did say that Iraq was "a grave and gathering threat to America and the world." LINK

Twenty-three GOP congressmen sent a letter to President Bush yesterday warning him of an election year backlash from Republican constituents - if the President's guest worker program is implemented, the Washington Times reports. LINK